Jersey City Bikeshare Launches; Hoboken's System on the Way

"With the recent success of bike sharing in New York City, to say nothing of cities around the world, cycling systems are now hitting the streets of Jersey City and Hoboken," reports Matt A.V. Chaban. 

The Jersey City decision to integrate into the Citi Bike system with its neighbor across the Hudson River was controversial enough to inspire coverage from The New Yorker in April of this year.

But after moving beyond those controversies to the delivery of their respective bikeshare systems in the present day, Chavan writes that the adoption of these systems in these particular New Jersey cities speaks of a larger trend: "Indeed, there may be no greater testament to the growing popularity of urban cycling than its adoption in the land of 'Racing in the Street' and 'Thunder Road.'"

"At 3 p.m. on Monday, 350 bikes will be activated in Jersey City, served by 35 docks across its 21 square miles," reports Chavan.

Hoboken's system will open in a few weeks. Chavan describes the thinking behind that city's system: "Mayor Zimmer…preferred a cheaper system proposed by a partnership of Bike and Roll, P3GM, Next Bike and e3think. That system meant the cities could afford more bikes, and Ms. Zimmer wanted to ensure that every resident was within a three- to five-minute walk of one."

More details on both, included among more in the article:

"Hoboken’s program will start with a similar number of bikes — 250 at 29 stations — as Jersey City’s, but at a quarter of the cost: $500,000 investment instead of $2 million. Both systems get their funding from private sponsors. Annual membership in Hoboken is cheaper: $95, compared with $149 in Jersey City. Because of the cost, Jersey City will begin with roughly half as many bikes as the mayor hoped, though there are plans to expand to 500."